Head suspension having different hardness contact surfaces for head slider control during shock

ABSTRACT

In the present invention, an intermediate member having a hardness different than that of a pivot is provided. According to this structure, the pivot is in contact with the intermediate member, and rubs the intermediate member to control the sliding of the pivot. Since the intermediate member has a different hardness than the pivot, these elements can better bear the acceleration of a head suspension in high speed operation. Moreover, generation of dust can be controlled and reliability can also be improved.

[0001] The present invention relates to a head suspension to support ahead slider in a disk drive apparatus, and more particularly, to a headsuspension which is more stable during high speed acceleration andgenerates less dust.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of a head suspension of the relatedart. A load beam (spring arm) 1 made of stainless steel is spot-weldedto a spacer 4 and the load beam 1 is fixed by a caulking method to anarm (not illustrated). Both sides of the load beam 1 are bent to form arigid rib 1 a. At the end portion of the load beam 1, a gimbal 2 made ofstainless steel is spot-welded.

[0003] The end portion of gimbal 2 is bent toward the disk 14 to form atongue portion 2 a. The tongue portion 2 a generates a spring force inthe direction perpendicular to the surface of a disk 14.

[0004] At the surface of tongue portion 2 a opposing the disk 14, a headslider 3 is mounted. The head slider 3 is generally fixed to the tongueportion 2 a by a bonding method. A part of the surface opposed to thetongue portion 2 a of the gimbal 2 is projected toward the tongueportion 2 a to form a pivot 5.

[0005] The pivot can be formed by punching the gimbal 2 with a punch.The end portion of the pivot 5 is in contact with the inside surfaceopposite the surface to which the head slider 3 is mounted. When thedisk 14 rotates, the slider 3 receives the air flow generated betweenthe slider 3 and the disk 14. As a result, the slider 3 floats from thesurface of disk 14, keeping a small gap, and rotates in every directionwith the end point of pivot 5 used as a fulcrum.

[0006] The head suspension moves, on the occasion of reading or writinginformation from or to the disk, on the surface of the disk at a highspeed so that the head slider can access the predetermined position onthe disk. In recent years, with higher speed access, some disk apparatusdrive the head suspension with an acceleration of 200G or more.

[0007] In the head suspension of the related art, improvement in theaccess rate allows the tongue portion of the gimbal to slide, resultingin a drop of resonance frequency, which is the important characteristicof the head suspension, and a drop of positioning accuracy of the head.Moreover, friction between the pivot and tongue portion has resulted inthe phenomenon that both elements generate dust within the diskenclosure as they wear out. If dust is adhered to the disk medium, itwill cause a head crash or the like and thereby reliability of the diskapparatus is deteriorated.

[0008] As explained above, in the head suspension of the related art,there is a need for further improved high speed operation for diskapparatus, and higher reliability.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore a first object of the present invention toprovide a new head suspension capable of high speed access.

[0010] A second object of the present invention is to provide a newhighly reliable disk apparatus.

[0011] A third object of the present invention is to provide a new headsuspension to prevent dust generated between a pivot and pivot contactsurface.

[0012] A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a new headsuspension which reduces sliding between the pivot and pivot contactsurface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In the present invention, an intermediate member having ahardness different from that of a pivot is provided on at least one ofthe pivot and the surface opposed to the pivot. According to thisstructure, the pivot is in contact with the intermediate member. Sincethe intermediate member is not as hard as the pivot, the pivot rubs theintermediate member to control the sliding of the pivot. Therefore,these elements can bear the acceleration of a head suspension in highspeed operation. Moreover, generation of dust can be better controlledand reliability can also be improved.

[0014] Intermediate members may be provided on both the pivot and thesurface opposed to the pivot. However, one intermediate member hashardness higher than that of the pivot and the other member has hardnesssmaller than that of the pivot. According to this structure, theintermediate members are in contact with each other. Since there is alarge difference of hardness between these members, their frictioncoefficient becomes large. Therefore, the pivot can bear a largeracceleration.

[0015] Moreover, in the present invention, a recess can be formed at thecontact surface between the gimbal or load beam and the pivot. Accordingto this structure, a part of the pivot enters the recess therebymovement of the pivot is restricted within the range surrounded by therecess. Therefore, sliding of the pivot is restricted to enable highspeed movement of the head suspension. Here, it is also possible thatthe intermediate member consisting of the material having the hardnesswhich is smaller than that of the pivot is arranged at the surface to bein contact with the pivot. According to this structure, not only themoving range of the pivot is limited but also wear of the pivot isfurther alleviated. Particularly, when the intermediate member is thelayer covering the signal line for transmitting the signal to the head,the existing element may also be used as the intermediate member, whichis preferable from the viewpoint of cost.

[0016] Moreover, in the present invention, projections may be formedalong the longitudinal direction at the contact surface with the pivotof the gimbal or load beam.

[0017] A surface of each projection is formed vertical to the movingdirection of the load beam. According to this structure, movement of thepivot toward the radial direction of the disk may be restricted becausethe projections work as walls. Therefore, sliding of the pivot in theradial direction of the disk is restricted, to assure high speedmovement of the head suspension.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above mentioned and other features of this invention and themanner of obtaining them will become more apparent, and the inventionitself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptionof an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

[0019]FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the head suspension of therelated art;

[0020]FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the head suspension of the relatedart;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the magnetic disk apparatus ofthe present invention;

[0022]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a head suspension of the firstembodiment of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of the secondembodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of the thirdembodiment of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of the fourthembodiment of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of the fifthembodiment of the present invention;

[0027]FIG. 8(a) is a plan view of the head suspension of the sixthembodiment of the present invention;

[0028]FIG. 8(b) is a cross-section elevational view of the headsuspension of FIG. 8(a);

[0029]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of theseventh embodiment of the present invention; and

[0030]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the head suspension of theeighth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031]FIG. 2 illustrates a disk apparatus in which the head suspensionof the present invention is used and is a plan view of the diskapparatus with the cover removed.

[0032] A spindle motor 52 is mounted on a base plate 51 to rotate thedisk 50. An actuator 53 which rotates in the disk radial direction isalso mounted on the base plate 51.

[0033] At one end of the actuator 53, a plurality of head arms 54extending in parallel to the recording surface of the disk 50 areformed. At one end of the head arm 54, a head suspension 55 is mountedfor each recording surface of the disk 50. The head suspension 55 iscomposed of the load beam 1 of which longitudinal direction is extendedalong the rotating direction of disk 50 and the gimbal supporting thehead slider 3. The base end side of the load beam 1 is mounted to thehead arm 54 and the gimbal 2 is provided in the end portion. At thesurface of the gimbal opposing the corresponding recording surface, thehead slider 3 is mounted via an insulating film (not illustrated). Atthe other end of the actuator 53, a coil (not illustrated) is mounted.

[0034] On the base plate 51, a magnetic circuit 58 composed of apermanent magnet and a yoke is provided. Within the magnetic gap of themagnetic circuit 58, the above coil is arranged. A voice coil motor(VCM) is formed of the magnetic circuit 58 and coil. Moreover, the upperpart of the base plate 51 is covered with the cover (not illustrated).

[0035] The operation of the disk apparatus explained above will now beexplained.

[0036] When the disk 50 is not rotated, the slider 3 is also stopped incontact with a saving (or parking) zone of the magnetic disk 50. Next,when the magnetic disk 50 is rotated with the spindle motor 52, theslider 3 is caused to float from the disk surface, keeping a little gapwith the air flow generated by rotation of the magnetic disk 50. When acurrent flows under the condition that the slider is floating, apropulsive force is generated in the coil and the actuator 53 rotates.The slider 3 moves on the predetermined track of the magnetic disk 50 toread or write data.

[0037] Next, various profiles of the head suspension of the presentinvention will be explained.

[0038]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal directionof the head suspension of the first embodiment.

[0039] At the end portion of the load beam 1, a pivot 5 is formed. Thepivot 5 can be formed by punching the load beam 1 with a punch. Thegimbal 2 and load beam 1 are preferably formed of stainless steel.Therefore, the pivot 5 is also formed of stainless steel. The thicknessof the load beam 1 may be in the range of about 0.02 mm to 0.08 mm, andheight of the pivot 5 may be in the range of about 0.02 mm to 0.1 mmfrom the surface of the load beam 1.

[0040] The gimbal 2 is mounted by spot-welding it to the area in thebase end portion side of the load beam 1 adjacent the pivot 5. Like theload beam 1, the gimbal 2 is also preferably formed of stainless steel.The head slider 3 is provided on the surface of the gimbal opposed tothe disk.

[0041] At the surface of the gimbal 2 opposing the load beam 1, anintermediate member 7 is formed. The preferable thickness ofintermediate member 7 is about 0.1 mm or less. As the material formingthe intermediate member 7, for example, a resin such as polyimide and ametal such as Au are used. These materials have higher viscosity andalso less hardness than the pivot 5. When the intermediate member 7 isformed of polyimide, a method can be used, in which film type polyimideis adhered to the gimbal 2, or the gimbal 2 is dipped or coated with theliquid polyimide. Moreover, when the intermediate member 7 is formed ofa metal material, a method such as sputtering and evaporation can beused.

[0042] According to this embodiment, the pivot 5 is not in directcontact with the gimbal 2. The pivot 5 pushes the intermediate member 7having a hardness different than that of the pivot 5. When theintermediate member 7 is softer than the pivot 5, the intermediatemember 7 is recessed. Particularly, using the polyimide-based resin andAu having a higher viscosity, a friction coefficient between the pivot 5and intermediate member 7 becomes large. Therefore, sliding between thepivot 5 and gimbal 7 is controlled and the generation of dust can beprevented. Moreover, the positioning accuracy of the head slider 4 canbe improved by the damping effect.

[0043]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal directionof the head suspension in the second embodiment.

[0044] In this embodiment, the intermediate member 7 is formed in theside of the load beam 1 to cover the pivot 5. As the material of theintermediate member 7, material the same as that of the intermediatemember 7 in the first embodiment explained previously may be used. Thesurface of pivot 5 is semi-spherical but like the first embodiment, theintermediate member 7 can easily be formed spherically by coating ordipping or attachment when a resin material is used, or by evaporationor sputtering when a metal material is used.

[0045] According to the present embodiment, the gimbal 2 does not comein direct contact with the pivot 5. The gimbal 2 is closely in contactwith the intermediate member 7 having hardness smaller than that of thegimbal 2, and the gimbal 2 is in contact with the intermediate member 7.Therefore, the friction coefficient becomes large, which controlssliding of the pivot 5 and prevents generation of dust.

[0046]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal directionof the head suspension in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] In this embodiment, an intermediate member 7 a is formed on theside of the load beam 1, while an intermediate member 7 b on the side ofthe gimbal 2. Here, the intermediate members 7 a, 7 b are respectivelyformed of different materials. Moreover, the intermediate member 7 a hashardness larger than that of the pivot 5, while the intermediate member7 b has hardness smaller than that of the pivot 5. In more practicalterms, as the intermediate member 7 a, a metal such as Ti, W, TiW, anoxide such as Al₂O₃, TiO and a nitride such as TiN are selected. On theother hand, as the intermediate member 7 b, a resin such as polyimide ora metal such as Au may be seleced.

[0048] According to this embodiment, the difference of hardness betweenthe intermediate member 7 a in the side of pivot 5 and the intermediatemember 7 b in the side of gimbal 2 becomes large. Therefore, a frictioncoefficient between the intermediate members 7 a, 7 b becomes large tocontrol sliding of the pivot 5. Moreover, since a material having higherviscosity like polyimide and Au is used as the intermediate member 7 b,the positioning accuracy of the head slider 3 can be improved by meansof the damping effect.

[0049] In this embodiment, the intermediate member 7 a in the side ofthe pivot 5 has hardness higher than that of the intermediate member 7 bin the side of gimbal 2 but the present invention is not limitedthereto. Namely, the intermediate member 7 b may have higher hardnessthan that of the intermediate member 7 a.

[0050] In the above first to third embodiments, sufficient close contactcannot be attained in some cases with the pivot 5 or gimbal 1, dependingon the material of intermediate member 7. Therefore, in view ofimproving the close contact property, a close contact layer may beformed between the intermediate member 7 and gimbal 1 or between theintermediate member 7 and pivot 5. For the close contact layer, anadequate material may be selected depending on the intermediate member7. For example, when Au is used for the intermediate member 7, Cr or Niis selected.

[0051] Moreover, in the first to third embodiments explained above, ifsliding of the pivot cannot be prevented even when the intermediatemember 7 is provided, a rough surface may be formed on the pivot 5 orintermediate member 7 through the process using plasma, CF₄, acid oralkali or the like. When the surface becomes rough, friction resistancebetween contact surfaces becomes large and thereby sliding of the pivot5 call be prevented.

[0052] As explained above, in the first to third embodiments, it is veryimportant to make the friction resistance between the contact surfacesin the sides of the load beam 1 and gimbal 2 large in order to preventsliding of the pivot 5. An adequate friction coefficient μ is expressedby μ=(mass of movable portion)×(acceleration)/load. Here, the mass ofthe movable portion is an equalized mass of the head slider 4 and gimbal2 in terms of pivot 5, and acceleration is the acceleration of themovable portion.

[0053]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal directionof the head suspension in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] In this embodiment, a recess 11 is formed in the area of thegimbal 2 with which the pivot 5 is in contact. The diameter of therecess 11 is ranged from about 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. The top area of thepivot 5 enters the recess 11 and is in contact with the surface in theopposite side of the surface opposing the disk medium of the head slider3.

[0055] According to the fourth embodiment, since the pivot 5 can bemoved only in the limited area of the recess, wear can be eased. Here,when the thickness of the gimbal 2 is defined as d, if the diameter ofthe recess 11 is smaller, no gap can be formed between the pivot 5 andthe edge of the recess 11. Therefore, sliding of pivot 5 can becontrolled and the pivot 5 is never worn out. In this head suspension,the head slider 3 is mounted on the gimbal 2 using a bonding agent, andthe top area of pivot 5 is in contact with the bonding agent via therecess. As a result, sliding of the pivot 5 is controlled by theviscosity of the bonding agent. Moreover, the positioning accuracy ofthe head slider 3 can be improved by means of the damping effect.

[0056] In this embodiment, the recess 11 is through the hole providedthrough the gimbal 2, but it is also possible to form a recess (notshown) through the gimbal 2 in place of the through hole. Since the toparea of the pivot 5 drops in the recess, a certain degree of slideprevention of the pivot 5 can be expected.

[0057]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal directionof the head suspension in the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] In this embodiment, the intermediate member 12 is formed on thesurface of the gimbal 2 where the head slider 3 is mounted, to which therecess 11 in the fifth embodiment is formed. The head slider 3 ismounted on the gimbal 2 via the intermediate member 12. The top area ofthe pivot 11 is in contact with the intermediate member 12. Material,size and forming method of the intermediate member 12 are the same asthat of the intermediate member 7 in the first and second embodimentsexplained previously.

[0059] According to the fifth embodiment, since the pivot 5 can be movedonly in the limited area of the recess, wear can be eased. Moreover,since the pivot 5 is in contact with the intermediate member 12 and hasa hardness sufficiently smaller than that of stainless steel, wear ofthe pivot may be eased more than that of the fourth embodiment.

[0060] FIGS. 8 are diagrams illustrating head suspension in the sixthembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8(a) is a plan view of thehead suspension and FIG. 8(b) is a side elevation of the peripheralportion of the gimbal.

[0061] A head element (not illustrated) for reading or writing data fromor to the disk medium is mounted on the head slider 3. Moreover, signallines 13 for transmitting the signals read from the disk and written tothe disk by the head element are extended on the gimbal 2 and load beam1, and are connected to the head slider 3 by solder balls 15. The signallines 13 are covered with an insulating thin film 14 to assureelectrical insulation. As the insulating thin film 14, polyamide isusually used.

[0062] In this embodiment, the polyamide film 14 for insulating thesignal lines 13 is arranged between the head slider 3 and gimbal 2 andthe polyamide film 14 is used as the intermediate member 12 in the fifthembodiment explained previously. The polyamide film 14 is formed on thegimbal 2 and load beam 1 by adhesion or pressure deposition. Thethickness of the polyamide film 14 is ranged from about 0.005 mm to 0.05mm.

[0063] According to this embodiment, since the pivot 5 can be moved onlyin the limited area of the recess, wear can be eased. Moreover, sincethe pivot 5 is in contact with the intermediate member 12 and has ahardness sufficiently smaller than that of stainless steel, wear of thepivot can be eased more than that in the fourth embodiment.Particularly, in this embodiment, the polyamide film 14 may be used asthe intermediate member 12. The polyamide has a smooth surface and asmall friction coefficient. Therefore, polyamide alleviates wear of tilepivot 5. Moreover, since the film already used can also be used as theintermediate member, it is no longer required to provide a newintermediate member 12, which it is preferable from the point of view ofcost.

[0064] Even in the fourth to sixth embodiments, like the thirdembodiment, the intermediate member 12 may be formed on both the gimbal2 and the pivot 5. Since the intermediate members 12 are providedopposed with each other, wear by sliding can further be alleviated andreliability may be improved.

[0065]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a head suspension in the seventhembodiment of the present invention.

[0066] In this embodiment, a plurality of projections 6 are formed onthe opposite surface from the surface of gimbal 2 where the head slider3 is loaded. The projections are formed in the longitudinal direction ofthe load beam 1, namely in the direction along the rotating direction ofthe disk. The projections 16 can be formed by rolling the head sliderloading surface of the gimbal 2 in the longitudinal direction of theload beam 1. Depending on the processing method, many projections 16 canbe formed toward the same direction on the gimbal.

[0067] According to this embodiment, the top area of the pivot 5 isarranged in the area below and between the projections 16. Therefore, ifacceleration is applied to the pivot 5 with movement of the load beam,the sliding distance is limited depending on the distance between theprojections 16 and thereby wear may be eased. Particularly, when aninterval or distance between the projections 16 is smaller than thediameter of pivot 5, the pivot 5 is in direct contact with theprojections 16 and thereby sliding can be reduced. Accordingly, a largeacceleration can be applied to the head suspension to enable high speedoperation.

[0068] As explained in each embodiment, the present invention providesmuch to suppress sliding of the pivot and realize alleviation of wear bysliding, and also improves reliability of the disk apparatus and highspeed operation.

[0069] In the head suspension in each embodiment explained above, thepivot 5 is formed in the side of the load beam 1, but it may be formedin the side of the gimbal 2. In such a structure, the pivot 5 is formedat the opposite surface of the surface where the head slider 3 is loadedand the intermediate member 7 and recess 11 are formed to the surfaceopposed to the gimbal 2 of the load beam 1. Even when the pivot 5 isformed in the side of the gimbal 2, sliding of the pivot can beprevented as in the case of the embodiments explained above.

[0070] Moreover, it is also possible to provide the pivot on an elementother than the load beam 1 and gimbal 2.

[0071]FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a head suspension inthe eight embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] In this embodiment, the gimbal 2 and load beam 1 are integrallyformed. The load beam 1 is composed of stainless steel. At the endportion of the load beam 1, a slit is formed and the area surrounded bythe slit functions as the gimbal 2. At the corresponding surface opposedto the disk of gimbal 2, the head slider 3 is mounted. At the oppositesurface (rear surface) of the head slider 2 loading surface of thegimbal 2, the intermediate member 7 is formed. Material, forming method,size or the like of the intermediate member 7 are similar to those inthe first embodiment explained above. At the rear surface of load beam1, a reinforcing plate 15 in which the pivot 5 is formed at its endportion is fixed, for example, by welding. Like the load beam 1, thereinforcing plate 15 is formed of stainless steel. The pivot 5 pushesagainst rear surface of the head slider loading surface of the gimbal 2via the intermediate member 7.

[0073] In this embodiment, the intermediate member 7 is formed at therear surface of gimbal 2, but it may also be formed on the pivot 5 as inthe case of the second embodiment. Moreover, the intermediate member 7may also be formed on both gimbal and pivot as in the case of the thirdembodiment. In addition, like the fourth embodiment, it is possible touse a structure where a recess is formed at the gimbal 2 and the toparea of the pivot 5 enters the recess.

[0074] In addition, in the embodiments explained above, sliding of thepivot is prevented by the intermediate member, recess or projections,but sliding of the pivot can also be prevented by other methods, forexample, by making the contact surface with the pivot rough by theinverse sputtering process or chemical process.

[0075] In head suspensions having the structures explained above, if thesuspension is driven with a large acceleration, the pivot does noteasily move and wear of the pivot and its contact surface can be eased.Therefore, generation of dust can be controlled, reliability of the diskapparatus can be improved, high speed acceleration can be enabled andhigh performance of the disk apparatus can also be realized.

[0076] While the principles of the invention have been described abovein connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to beunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas a limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A head suspension for use adjacent a disk mediumcomprising; a first portion having a head slider and a first surface;and a second portion having a gimbal and a second surface in contactwith said first surface; said first surface and said second surfacehaving a different degree of hardness.
 2. A head suspension for useadjacent a disk medium comprising: a load beam for giving a load in thedisk medium direction to a head slider; a gimbal mounted to said loadbeam to mount said head slider to any one surface; a pivot formed on theother surface of said gimbal to support said head slider on a point; andan intermediate member, having a hardness higher than that of saidpivot, between the surface of the load beam opposed to said pivot andsaid pivot.
 3. The head suspension of claim 2, wherein said intermediatemember is formed on both the surface of said load beam and said pivot,and said intermediate member on one surface has hardness different thanthat of said intermediate member on the other surface.
 4. The headsuspension of claim 1, further comprising a close contact member undersaid intermediate member.
 5. A head suspension comprising; a load beamfor giving a load in the disk medium direction to a head slider; agimbal mounted to said load beam to mount said head slider to any onesurface; a pivot formed on the surface opposed to said gimbal in saidload beam to support said head slider on a point; and an intermediatemember, having a hardness higher than said pivot, formed between saidpivot and the surface opposed to said pivot in said gimbal.
 6. The headsuspension of claim 5, wherein said intermediate member is formed onboth of the surface of said gimbal and said pivot, and said intermediatemember on one surface has a hardness different than that of saidintermediate member on the other surface.
 7. The head suspension ofclaim 5, further comprising a close contact member under saidintermediate member.
 8. A head suspension comprising; a load beamextending in the rotating direction of a disk to give a load in saiddisk direction to the head slider; a gimbal mounted to said load beam tomount on its one surface said head slider; a pivot formed on the othersurface of said gimbal to support said head slider on a point; and arecess formed on the surface opposed to said gimbal in said load beam,such that said pivot is embedded therein.
 9. The head suspension ofclaim 8, wherein said recess is provided through the element.
 10. Thehead suspension of claim 9, wherein an intermediate member having ahardness smaller than that of said pivot is formed on said load beam.11. The head suspension of claim 10, wherein said recess is formed tothe gimbal and a cable to transmit a signal to the head slider isarranged as said intermediate member between said head slider and saidgimbal.
 12. A head suspension comprising; a load beam extending in therotating direction of a disk to give a load in said disk direction to ahead slider; a gimbal mounted to said load beam to mount on its onesurface said head slider; a pivot formed on the surface opposed to saidgimbal in said load beam to support said head slider on the point; and arecess formed on the other surface of said gimbal, said pivot beingembedded therein.
 13. The head suspension of claim 11, wherein saidrecess is provided through the element.
 14. The head suspension of claim12, wherein an intermediate member having a hardness smaller than thatof said pivot is formed on the one surface of said gimbal.